Of Curses and Catastrophes
by Firetoflame
Summary: When a dark curse falls over the Storybrooke of the future, eight unlikely kids must band together and seek help from the past in order to save their town and their fairy-tale families. All major pairings...newly established SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Portal Hopping**

Storybrooke was quiet. Emma watched Main Street from inside her cruiser and she knew something was wrong. She could feel it in her blood. The wind wouldn't blow. The crickets wouldn't chirp. Something was happening. Something magic.

She picked up her cell and hit the speed dial.

"Regina," she said quickly, barely giving the other woman a chance to say hello. "We have a problem."

Emma waited for the reply. It was exactly what she expected to hear.

"No, for once, I don't think it has anything to do with Henry. This feeling I have, it's strange. We're dealing with something neither of us has seen before."

There was a loud sound, like thunder hitting the ground. It exploded down Main Street and bright white light filled the sky. "You saw that too, right?" Emma said, leaning over the steering wheel. Her eyebrows hit her hairline. "I'm not crazy, am I?"

Emma dropped the phone and shielded her eyes as the white light shot outwards, whipping through Storybrooke. It became a translucent fog that hugged every brick and stone and garden gnome as it moved. Then, as fast as it had appeared, the fog evaporated and the day was quiet once more.

Emma fumbled for her cell and held it to her ear. Regina said something and she responded with a weak laugh. "I'll give you one guess. But my money's on Gold."

* * *

"The hell was that?" Skye said. She was actually shouting but she couldn't tell because her ears were buzzing and ringing at the same time. She cupped one ear and stuck her finger in the other, wondering why she could hear the ocean. "I think my eardrums just exploded."

"What?" someone yelled.

Skye ignored the voice and stared straight ahead. She was looking at a pair of busted headlights. With the bumper all skewed, the front of the car seemed to be smiling at her. It was a sick, twisted smile. A taunting smile. She kicked out and the bumper detached from the rest of the frame. "That's better," she said before jumping to her feet. She hiked up her favorite skinny jeans and reached into her back pocket. "Hey! Where's my IPod?"

Skye whipped her head around. The trees spun with her and branches reached out like tangled arms. "The hell'd it go?" she managed to say before the dizziness caught up with her and she collapsed.

"My mommy says hell is a bad word," a small voice said. "It is, isn't it?"

Rosie had heard Skye a minute ago but now she wasn't answering. She looked around and couldn't see anything but the back seat of the Bug. Her arm was stuck beneath it, her little hand still holding tight to Henry's fairy-tale book. Somehow it ended up wedged under the seat, too. "Skye? Hello?" she said. "Isn't anyone going to help me out of here?"

Rosie reached up to push the hair from her eyes with her free hand. The strands were all tangled and stuck to her face with something red and sticky. Blood. She whimpered but the sound got caught in her throat. No one could hear her cry. Not even Talon who was only two feet away.

"Addison? McKenzie? Where are you?" he shouted. He was sprawled on the grass beside the car. He couldn't remember how he ended up outside of the vehicle, but he had. He used the door handle to pull himself to his feet. It jerked and ripped right off the door. "Crap," he muttered, trying to fit the rivets back in their holes. After a few minutes he abandoned the idea. The car was totaled anyway. "Emma is going to kill me."

"Now you're in trouble."

Talon looked around. McKenzie had her arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. He dropped the handle and wiped his hands on his jeans, noticing there was a tear just above his knee. He was out of breath but said, "You're the one who suggested we should take the Bug."

"You said we could all fit."

"And we did."

McKenzie choked on a laugh. "Barely."

Talon shrugged and winced. His shoulders flopped down.

"You okay?" McKenzie asked. She raced forward and caught Talon under the arm. "Is it your ribs?" He nodded and McKenzie leaned him against the door. The faded yellow paint on her ma's favorite car was peeling. It looked like it had been singed off in some places.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen," she said, tucking her black hair behind her ears. "I read my mom's notes over and over again before I even suggested we try this."

"Yeah, well Regina has a tendency of leaving things out of her magic spell book," Talon said wryly.

McKenzie's focus shifted between the mangled remains of the car and the small crater they had caused in the woods when they came through the portal. "Still, this wasn't a normal jump at all."

"_What?_ The massive explosion and the blinding white light weren't _supposed_ to happen," Rowe said, staggering out of the woods with his hands covering his head. "I used to have twenty-twenty vision before you fried my retinas."

"No one asked you to come," McKenzie snapped back at him.

"Actually, you did, princess. It was something along the lines of 'I need you Rowe, please don't leave me. I love you,'" he mimed in a high-pitched voice.

"As if," McKenzie said, feeling along Talon's ribs for what she suspected was a broken one. "And I definitely do not sound like that."

"Don't remember saying that, huh?" Rowe said with a smirk. "Do you fancy a walk down memory lane?"

"Shut up," McKenzie said. "Or I will fireball you out of existence."

Rowe made a jerky bow. "Whatever you say, princess."

"Go hang your wings out to dry," Talon grumbled after a sharp breath. "Or I'll do it for you."

"Mate, you're the one soaked in your own blood. I'm not sure you're in the position to be making threats."

Talon looked down at his shirt. "It's not mine," he said, pushing the material around. "I swear it's not mine."

"Then who's?" McKenzie said to him. "Who were you sitting beside?"

"I don't remember," Talon said. "Everything's a foggy mess. But I had Addie on my lap. She shifted right before we—"

McKenzie met his eyes and her expression fell. "No," she said.

Talon reached for the side mirror, trying to get enough of a grip to heave himself to his feet.

"No mate, stay here. I'll help her look." Rowe grabbed McKenzie's arm but she yanked it away.

"I can walk thanks."

"Do you want help finding your sister or not?" Rowe asked. His dark eyes pinched together and his lips curved into his signature twisted smile.

McKenzie growled under her breath. "Fine, let's go this way."

"Wait," someone called. "I've got her here. She's fine." Kai stumbled around the front of the Bug and dropped Addie on the hood. He whistled for air. "You're a lot heavier than I remember, kid." His almond eyes were kind but McKenzie could see the pain he was hiding in them. She raced forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Kai, you're okay." She breathed him in. Deeper and deeper. He always smelt like the woods and spices she couldn't place. Magical and homey and wonderful. It smelt like the Enchanted Forest.

"M'fine," he murmured into her hair. She pulled away and he stumbled. "But I think my ankle is bummed. I woke up wrapped around a tree. Addie was beside me."

They both looked at the blonde girl beside them. She shook her head, sending the curls spiraling down her back, and crossed her arms. "I'm fine, but I did not enjoy that ride at all. Mummy would not approve. Talon is bleeding. Gramma and Gramps would be very mad about that."

"It's not my blood."

"Kai hurt his foot. Skye was spinning around in circles screaming about her IPod. And I haven't seen Henry's book anywhere," Addie continued.

"Well at least some things are still the same," McKenzie said. "Rowe is still being an annoying jerk."

"Mummy would not approve," Addie said again.

"Mom's not here." McKenzie's brows furrowed. "Technically."

But Addie wasn't finished yet. She usually wasn't unless she got the last word in. "This was very dangerous."

"Motion seconded," Kai said. He turned back to McKenzie. "You know I love coming over here and you know I volunteered for this but I haven't been chucked around like that since the ogres invaded my village."

McKenzie rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're comparing this to an ogre attack?"

"No," Kai said. "I'm saying it was worse." He brushed his spikey black hair back. It sprung right back to the same position as soon as he pulled his hands away.

Rowe scoffed. "Too much for the brave warrior to handle," he said.

McKenzie opened her mouth but Talon was on his feet now, fingering the blood on his shirt. "Give it a rest, Rowe." He towered over the other boy, squaring his shoulders. Muscles tightened and rolled under his shirt.

"Gunna make me, or are you all for show?"

Talon's blue eyes narrowed and his jaw set. "This isn't the time for petty arguments. We're here to get help."

"Lead the way then, oh fearless prince."

Talon made a fist but his arm dropped. "You're not even worth it."

"Honestly, guys, would you quit it with the macho crap and help me," Skye begged. She had abandoned the idea of looking for her IPod and was now caught in the tree line, supporting a very unconscious Melody.

"Oh my gods," Talon said. He raced to take Melody from Skye. "Help me get her on the ground," he shouted.

Arms and legs tangled as the group dragged Melody back beside the car.

"Is she—"

"No."

"How do you know?"

"She's breathing."

"Er, right."

"Never claimed to be the brightest tool in the shed, did you Talon?"

"Rowe, the fireball threat is still active."

"Anytime you wanna go, Kenzie. We'll see how your magic stalks up against mine."

"Enough," Kai said. He ripped off the bottom length of his shirt and tied it to Melody's upper arm.

"The warrior binds wounds too; should we give him a medal for that?"

"Rowe!" There was so much shouting going on Rowe couldn't be sure who was yelling at him. But there was no mistaking the fist. It collided with the underside of his chin. The crunch of teeth on tongue was sickening.

"What was that for, Mel?" he slurred.

"I still hate you," she said. "Nothing's changed."

"Mel, you're okay," Talon cried. He crushed her in a hug.

"Yeah, lover boy," Rowe said, rotating his jaw. "It appears that your girlfriend is back to her acerbic self."

"How's your arm?" Kai asked, breaking up the fight. "I've bound the blood flow but that won't do anything for the pain."

Talon pushed Melody's long red braid over her shoulder and kissed her forehead. She smiled at him and then at Kai. "I can't feel it that much. It just tingles."

"Okay, good then. We'll have to get to the hospital first," Kai said. "The car is wrecked and our stuff is everywhere but I think getting medical care trumps all that."

"We can't just leave it," Skye said suddenly. "All my clothes."

"Your very red clothes," McKenzie interjected. "It looks like Christmas threw up out here."

"And my IPod is still out there somewhere."

"Well come back for it later," Talon said, helping Melody to her feet.

"We need Henry's book," Addie cut in. "Everything else can wait but we can't leave that, just in case."

"Fine, fan out," Kai said. "Find the book and then we go."

"Who had it last?" McKenzie asked. She turned her head as Talon pointed at Addie.

"I did have it," she said. "I was reading it, but right before we went through the portal I turned and gave it to—"

"Who?" McKenzie asked.

Talon reached up and squeezed her hand. "What is it, Addie?"

Her brown eyes widened. "Where's Rosie?"

"O-M-G," Melody said, leaning against Talon for support. "You lost her?"

"We didn't lose her," Kai said. "She just hasn't been found yet."

"Sure yeah…"

"Who's supposed to be watching her?"

"You're not in charge, don't ask stupid questions."

"I am dummy, I'm older."

"Hear that?" Skye said over the din of voices. Everyone was talking at once. "Hey, hey, everyone shut up for a sec."

They did and then they heard it. A hallow tapping sound.

Kai raced forward and yanked the back door of the car open. "Rosie!" he cried.

She was huddled on the floor of the back seat.

"Hey," McKenzie said racing forward. "You okay?"

Rosie shook her head. "My hand is stuck."

Kai peered under the seat and smiled. "Just let go of the book, Rosie."

She shook her head.

Kai shoved his hand under the seat. "It's okay, I've got it. You can let go now."

Rosie pulled her arm out and in a second was in McKenzie's arms. "I lost my glasses," she cried.

"And bumped your head pretty bad by the looks of it. I'm not sure that can wait for the hospital."

Rosie was crying. "How am I supposed to read without my glasses?"

"It's okay, squirt," McKenzie said gently. "We'll find them. I promise." Rosie nodded through a sniffled hiccup. "Let's get your head looked after, okay. Addie, you wanna hold Rosie's hand for me?"

Addie slid off the hood of her mother's car and knelt down beside her friend. "It doesn't hurt, Rosie. My mummy uses this spell on me all the time."

McKenzie shook out her arm and placed her hand on the side of Rosie's head, right above the gash that was oozing blood down her face.

"You sure that's a good idea, princess?"

McKenzie rolled her eyes. "What is it now, Rowe?"

"I'm just saying, it was your magic that landed us in this mess. We don't know what you're capable of here. Maybe we shouldn't go testing it out on Rosie's head."

"It's a simple spell."

"Portal hopping was _supposed_ to be simple," he said.

"But time travel is not," Addie defended. "She did a good job to get us here."

"Where else would we have gone?" Rowe said.

"She could have gone back way too far. Back to before there was even a town here." Addie swallowed. "Back, before there was magic."

The silence that followed startled McKenzie. She shook off the feeling. "I can do it," she assured everyone.

"Yeah, right," Rowe scoffed. "You barely managed to get us through the portal in one piece."

"Who brought this guy?" Melody said, pointing a thumb at Rowe.

"That's what I keep wondering," Talon muttered.

McKenzie was on her feet now. "And I suppose you would have done so much better with your fairy powers?"

"Not a fairy," he said, flicking her forehead. "And yeah, I could have."

McKenzie ground her teeth together. She could feel the heat rippling against her palms. All she had to do was open them. It was only because of Talon's hand on her shoulder and Melody's arm wrapped around her waist that she didn't lunge. "Well," she said. "I guess you've volunteered to get us home. Have fun with that."

"Heck, no," Skye said. "I am not portal hopping with any of you again. There's a hole burned in my shirt."

Melody groaned. "You have, like, a thousand red shirts, Skye."

"Yeah, well, this one was my favorite."

Melody rolled her eyes but smiled. "They're all your favorite. But I agree, I like that one."

"See, I'm not crazy. And I don't want to leave my stuff in the woods were animals could get at it."

"You mean like wolves?" Rowe asked. He tried to hide the smirk but failed.

"Bite me," Skye said, standing before him until they were almost nose to nose. She turned away with a flourish. "I don't know about you guys but it doesn't look like anyone is about to die so I'm gunna track down my stuff."

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fine, we pack up first. Then we go straight to the hospital, understood?"

"Yes, oh brave warrior," Rowe sneered, walking past the group. "If anyone finds any fairy dust, it's mine."

"Seriously guys, do not give him fairy dust," McKenzie whispered, before she followed Rowe into the tangle of trees that now held their belongings.

"Wait up," Skye squealed. She pushed her way past the group and out into the open. "Hey, someone's coming up fast." She pointed through the trees. "Maybe two someone's. Cars at ten o'clock."

Flashing red lights and a wailing siren greeted them from behind.

McKenzie raced back to the Bug with Rowe on her heels. "Aw, damn," she said. "We're busted."

Addison turned around. "It's okay. It's just the police."

"It's not the police, squirt. It's ma." McKenzie's face fell. "And she brought, mom."

"Alright," Talon said, straightening up and marching to the front of the group. "Everyone just stay calm and let me do the talking."

"Right," Rowe said. "Cause you're always so smooth."

"I'm not smooth," he said. "I'm charming."

* * *

**So...thanks for reading...tell me what you think and if you want me to continue. Magical fan-fiction points to whoever can guess who the kids belong to. (ie. who their parents are). Some are pretty obvious since I had to write in plot points ;P **


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay all you Oncer's, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for giving this fan-fiction a chance. And for those of you who guessed at the origins of our young heroes, here's the run-down (at least how it appears in the Storybrooke universe in my head):**

**McKenzie (14) and Addison (10) belong to Regina and Emma because, despite all this Hook and Neal stuff, I can't imagine them not being together. The chemistry is just too good and the idea of passing on that kind of magic to a new generation leaves endless possibilities. Plus I feel like the Evil Queen and the Saviour balance each other out perfectly. Don't get me wrong, Neal would spend a lifetime making everything up to Emma and Henry. They would be the perfect little family. And Hook is just roguishly dashing. But I can't imagine Emma ever having a real relationship with either of them.**

**Talon (16) belongs to Snow and Charming. He's Emma's little brother, though in this story he isn't quite so little anymore. I feel like he and Emma would have a good relationship. Talon is a mini-Charming in looks and personality and he is very protective of McKenzie and Addie.**

**Melody (16) belongs to Eric and Ariel. If anyone is familiar with Disney's version of the Little Mermaid, they know there is a baby in the second movie Disney made. Her name is Melody and I borrowed that for this story but her look is slightly different from the movie since I wanted to pass on the iconic red hair.**

**Skye (15) belongs to Ruby and…well frankly I don't know who. Though Red seemed all innocent and cutesy in the Enchanted Forest flashbacks, Ruby was less reserved in her Storybrooke endeavours. Because of that I feel like Skye's father is a mystery because Ruby just doesn't know who it is (a bit of a Mamma Mia predicament). I honestly can't picture Ruby settling with anyone, even in the future, and I think her and Granny would do a good job raising Skye without a father in the picture. (Is anyone else super bummed that Megan Ory has left the show?)**

**Kai (14) is Mulan's son with Robin Hood. I love Mulan and Aurora but I feel like that pairing would never come to be because I truly believe Aurora is in love with Philip and will move on and have a bunch of sleeping beauty babies with him. Being the noble and respectful person she is, Mulan goes ahead and joins Robin's group of 'Merry Men' and eventually I think the two would fall in love, maybe not true love, but since Robin doesn't know of Regina's existence in this fic, I think they would be a happy couple. At least until Robin Hood is killed…sorry…he has to die because I can't risk him coming back and upsetting SwanQueen. So yeah, Kai is from the Enchanted Forest, born and raised. Storybrooke of the future has been established with a permanent link back to the Enchanted Forest so most of the characters can come and go as they please. Kai spends a lot of time in Storybrooke and has a tight friendship with McKenzie.**

**Rowe (15) is the result of a little too much rum. Inspired by the latest episode in which Tinkerbelle tells Regina she needs a drink and Hook's fondness for alcohol, and because the writers so easily insinuated that something could happen between them (Emma: "Were you two just?"…Because that was the first thing that came to mind when I heard mother superior screaming for her life? -_- ). Tinkerbelle and Hook are definitely not a couple in this fic but they have a kid. I'm not sure what kind of parents they're going to end up being but I wanted them both in the story. (Anyone else love the fact that they keep Tink's hair in her signature bun on the show?)**

**And finally, Rosie (7) is Rumbelle! Enough said.**

**Other fairy-tale children may pop up as the story progresses (you can make suggestions for which couples you'd like to see have kids and I'll try to work them in)…we'll just have to wait and see.**

**Anyway, enough of the long winded author's note. Here's the next part, which takes place in Future Storybrooke and actually backtracks to twenty-four hours before the prologue. Enjoy! Oh, and review if you want to see more:D**

* * *

**Storybrooke of the Future: 24 Hours Before**

Rosie stared at her hands folded beneath the table. She knew if she avoided her vegetables long enough, Papa would excuse her and then she would be free to read until bedtime. Mama was always a bit stricter but when Rosie smiled and dropped her eyelashes just right they couldn't resist.

"Dearie, I don't think you're quite done yet," Rumplestiltskin said to his daughter.

"But Papa, I don't like green vegetables," she whispered, chancing a quick glance at her mother from beneath her glasses.

Belle cleared her throat and tried to hide the smile that was quirking at her lips. The pleading look on her daughter's face over something as trivial as vegetables was almost comical. But if Belle was to admit anything to herself, it would be that her daughter had inherited her knack for getting exactly what she wanted with a pout and a flutter of her lashes. In Belle's experience, that look was most effective when bargaining with the Dark One. Rosie had picked up on that and, after only seven years, she had her father wrapped around her finger.

But so did Belle. She turned her crystal blue stare on her husband and gently arched her eyebrow. It was an invitation. It was Rumple's turn to enforce the rules. Belle wasn't going to let him slip away again, leaving her to be the one who placed boundaries on their daughter's whims and wishes. Parenting wasn't easy. Nothing about raising a perpetually curious seven year old with a knack for getting into trouble was easy, but there had to be some rules, and eating vegetables was one Belle figured they could manage to enforce without too much effort. She pursed her pink lips and dropped her lashes, shadowing her eyes.

Rumplestiltskin gave a defeated sigh and begrudgingly agreed, although silently, and Belle smiled. He knew that fixed stare too well to imagine he was getting out of it. To be honest it made his heart pound when Belle looked at him like that, and even after all this time he knew he would walk off the edge of the earth if that's what she asked of him.

Rosie didn't miss the exchange. She knew something secret and silent had transpired between her parents. They had this way of talking sometimes, where no words, only thoughts passed between them with a series of looks and nods and eye rolls. For whatever reason, her mother usually ended up winning those silent exchanges. At least, her father never looked entirely pleased afterwards.

And yet, each time, he abided by his silent promises.

"Rosie, sweetheart, it is not a matter of liking what's on your plate. It is a simple matter of finishing it," he said with very little enthusiasm.

"Vegetables are good for you," Belle added.

Rosie slouched in her chair. "I wish Bae was here. We never have to eat things like this when he comes for dinner," she said. Bae always swindled pizza out of her parents, or better yet, an evening trip to Granny's. Rosie pushed the broccoli to the other side of her plate. Maybe if she pushed it around enough it would just disappear. Like a magic trick.

"Can I have a dog?" she asked suddenly.

Rumplestiltskin stopped eating and looked at Belle who wiped her face on her napkin and turned to their daughter. "Whatever do you want a dog for?"

Rosie shrugged and dropped her fork beside her plate. "I think they like vegetables."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled and Belle smiled gently. "They might, but not _your _vegetables," she said, brushing a stray strand of dark brown hair from her daughter's face.

Rumplestiltskin stilled at the gesture. It was something Belle did often, but each time the striking resemblance between mother and daughter still caught him off guard: piercing blue eyes; dark waves of hair; fair, porcelain skin. Rumplestiltskin secretly feared the day his daughter decided her love lied in anything other than books. He filled her room with them. Shelves upon shelves upon shelves of stories, giving her a library of her very own as he had once done with Belle.

But with Belle it had been a peace offering, a chance to win her affection. With Rosie it was an attempt to keep her trapped in the land of fantasy for as long as possible. To keep her little and full of wonder. He couldn't bear to see her grow up. Seven already and growing every day. She had her mother's endless curiosity and his affinity for trouble. What would she be like—dare he say it—as a teenager? No, he couldn't think about it, he wouldn't. Rosie would always be his little girl. She would always come to him for help and he would always quell her nightmares and inspire her dreams.

"I'll tell you what," he began. "You finish your dinner and afterwards we'll practice magic."

Rosie's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Oh, really Papa?"

"Only if you finish all of your dinner, okay?"

Rosie giggled and picked up her fork. "Then the deal is struck," she said. With new vigour, she attacked the rest of her plate and choked down the parts she would happily feed to a dog if she had one. When she was finished, she pushed her plate away and jumped from the table. "May I be excused," she asked in a rush. Her feet were on the stairs before either of her parents could answer.

Belle nodded as her daughter disappeared out of sight, no doubt eager to finish whatever homework Snow had given the second grade class so her father could make good on his deal. A deal! He had struck a deal to get her to eat her vegetables. Belle stifled the laugh as she pushed her plate away as well and looked at Rumplestiltskin. "You're making deals with our daughter now, I see." She folded her hands under her chin.

"My deals are not always struck for my gain," he defended. "Sometimes they are for the benefit of others." He smiled and spun his wine glass in his hand.

Belle pursed her lips and regarded him. Rumplestiltskin's heart fluttered.

"And if I recall correctly it was you striking the deals last night," he said. There was a lusty darkness in his voice.

"So it was," Belle agreed. Her cheeks flamed, a look Rumplestiltskin still enjoyed eliciting from his wife whenever he could. It brightened her eyes and caused her to smile endlessly. Belle cleared her throat. The fire in her cheeks may have betrayed her emotion but her eyes still conveyed her intention.

"Don't look at me like that, dear," Rumplestiltskin said.

"Like what?" Belle asked innocently.

He smirked. "Like I've cheated my way through this parenting trap."

Belle leaned back in her chair. "I never said that."

"Ah, but you were thinking it." Rumplestiltskin wagged his finger at her. "I know you were. You never implied I had to get her to eat her vegetables in any particular way, only that she _should_ eat them. In my experience bribery always works."

Belle gave a vague nod of her head. "You have no idea what I was thinking," she said.

"Oh really. Would you like to tell me where my observations might have gone astray then?"

"Mmm hmm." Belle stood from her chair and walked towards her husband. He pushed his chair away from the table and she settled herself on his lap. "Would you like to make a deal with me?" she whispered in his ear.

"Always," he said. His arms snaked around her waist and hooked at the small of her back. "What are your terms?"

Belle's eyes fell to his lips. "I'm not sure yet," she freely admitted, "but I was thinking that we now have a moment to ourselves. I don't think I got a proper 'hello' when you came home from work."

Her lips parted and Rumplestiltskin closed the distance. Hands roamed freely. Noses touched. And for several minutes the gasping breaths became few and far between, each one expertly calculated between a heated kiss.

"Hello," Rumplestiltskin murmured, threading his fingers through Belle's long hair. After all this time she still wore it down, loose around her shoulders, just for him.

"Hi," Belle whispered back.

As their lips pulled apart for the last time, Rumplestiltskin was struck by an errant thought. Perhaps he had indeed struck the deal with his daughter for his own personal gain. And what a deal it was turning out to be.

Rosie slammed her notebook closed, dropped the pencil, and switched off her lamp. Multiplication was done. She had learned the difference between a noun and a verb and the supplies for the bird house she was supposed to be making at school tomorrow were already packed in her bag. She took the stairs two at a time, humming under her breath as she went, and raced into the dining room, her socked feet sliding against the hardwood floors.

"Papa, I've finished all my homework," she declared, righting her glasses. Her eyes focused on her father's body. It was collapsed against the table. His chest was resting on his plate, his arms hanging loose by his sides. "Papa," she whispered, stepping closer. Surely he wasn't asleep at the table. She had only been gone a few minutes.

He couldn't have possibly been that tired, not enough so that he would forget about their deal.

"Papa?"

Rosie reached out for his shoulder but in that same instance she stumbled. Looking down she found her mother passed out on the floor at the base of the table. She dropped to her knees and held her mother's face between her hands. She was ice cold. "Mama," Rosie cried. She shook her mother's body. Nothing happened. Rosie rested her forehead against her mother's. She could feel warm breath on her face.

Her mother wasn't dead. And neither was her father. They had both fallen into a strange sleep.

A deep, enchanted sleep.

**Storybrooke of the Future: 23 Hours Before**

Skye Lucas was running late for her shift at Granny's, really, really late, and it may or may not have been because she was hooking up with a guy on the outskirts of town. In all reality there hadn't been much hooking up or anything else going on. She wasn't exactly sure of what to expect, but she knew enough to know that the guy didn't usually pass out cold before anything happened.

Skye had waited around for a while to see if he would wake up, but the jerk-off had fallen asleep on her. He didn't even have the decency to drive her back to town, which now explained why she was running through the streets of Storybrooke attempting to fix her impossibly straight hair into a ponytail while jamming her feet into non-slip work shoes.

The bell above the diner door jangled obnoxiously as she forced her way inside. It was completely empty: display cases were dimmed, the blinds had been shut. They usually closed early on Tuesday's, but not this early. What time was it anyway? Skye reached for her back pocket. She felt her IPod but no phone. "Dammit," she said. The phone must still be in the deadbeat's truck.

She glanced at the clock on the far wall and cringed. 7:36. Okay, so, maybe she was extremely late for her shift. Three-and-a-half hours late to be exact. Stupid boys. Stupid hormones. Stupid delinquent teenager brain. Stupid her for always doing stupid things.

Skye dropped her bag on the nearest table and collapsed into a chair. She covered her eyes with her hands and groaned. She could feel a headache coming on.

She deserved it.

"Nice of you to show up," her mother said, clicking her manicured nails on the vinyl counter top. Skye cringed. She hadn't even noticed her there.

Ruby cocked her head and waited for the excuses to come pouring out. Skye had been late before. It wasn't unusual for her daughter to forget what days she worked, but there was always an elaborate excuse tied to her absence when she finally did make an appearance.

"Let me guess," Granny said, coming out of the kitchen. She threw a towel over her shoulder. "Homework, right? You must have had a big extra credit project again."

Skye split her fingers so she could see beyond her hands.

"Or maybe volunteering at the animal shelter," her mother said. She stood beside Granny. Skye couldn't tell which disapproving scowl she hated more. Maybe she should just explain, let them at least understand why she had missed her entire shift. Maybe they would laugh it off. Maybe they would ground her.

Most likely they would ground her.

Granny dropped her hand on the counter, making Skye jump and recoil in her skin. "Visiting patients at the hospital again?"

"Or my favourite," Ruby said. "I was helping an old lady cross the street, right?"

Skye glared at her mother. "That one wasn't a lie," she said. "It actually happened."

"Sure thing, kiddo. Well it was nice of you to come to work at all. No of course I don't mind picking up your shift again."

"It's nice to see you too, mom," Skye said.

"Hey," Ruby said with a frown. "You're the one who skipped out on us all night. The least you could do is show up for clean-up, or call-in like a regular employee. I had no idea where you were. Is it too much trouble to ask for a text?"

"Didn't think you really cared where I was," Skye muttered. It was low and muddled but her mom caught it, with the wolf hearing and all. Sometimes she forgot about that.

"Of course I want to know where you are," Ruby snapped. Her arms straightened as she clenched her fingers around the edge of the counter. She took a deep breath. "I always want to know where you are."

"It was an accident," Skye said. She couldn't meet their eyes. It was almost physically painful. "Everything just got majorly screwed up today, okay."

"You seem to have a lot of accidents," Granny said. "Conveniently when your shifts are about to start."

"You have to start taking a little responsibility for your actions, Skye." Ruby's frown deepened. She knew going easy on Skye would only make her daughter more rambunctious. Every now and then she needed to be reined in. Ruby mentally cringed. Skye hadn't even made her first transformation into the wolf yet and she was already having trouble keeping track of her. Her daughter was too much like her Storybrooke self.

"I try, but every time I make headway with anything you two tighten the collar until I can't help but mess up."

"Because you're constantly doing things against our wishes," Granny said.

Skye waved them off. "Whatever."

"No, not whatever," Ruby said. "You're going to listen. I want you here tomorrow morning at seven to help open up."

"Tomorrow?" Skye cried. "But that's my day off. You know I have plans with Kai and McKenzie. We're going to Boston with Emma. It's been planned for months!"

Ruby swallowed and tightened her resolve. "You'll have to cancel."

"Seriously?" Skye slammed herself back in her chair. "I can't believe you!" Her voice was rising and she was fighting hard to keep it down.

"When you're responsible enough to show up for work then you can go to Boston, until then you'll park it in the diner every day after school whether you work or not. Consider yourself grounded."

"I miss tomorrow _and_ I'm grounded?" Skye blurted. "That's so not fair!"

"Get used to it," Granny said. "You're mom went easy on you. I would have docked your pay too."

Ruby looked at Granny. "You think?" she said.

Granny nodded and shrugged simultaneously.

Skye groaned. "You know what, you two can just drop dead," she said. And at that moment her mom and her Granny did exactly that.

Skye jumped from her chair and stumbled backwards. "I-I didn't mean it, okay." Her knees wobbled. "Hey, hey, I was kidding, geez." The air in the diner seemed to be eaten up because Skye was finding it hard to breathe. "Mom?" she said. "Granny? C'mon guys, this isn't funny."

Both of them had disappeared behind the counter.

Skye closed her eyes, counted to three and opened them again. Nothing changed.

She took several hesitant steps towards the counter and peered over it. Her mom and Granny lay in a tangled heap on the floor. She could hear them breathing. Her mom's hair fluttered every time she exhaled.

Asleep? Just like that?

Something was very wrong.

Skye walked around the counter and nudged her mom's foot with her own. "Mom? Wake up."

She hugged her elbows. "Hey, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean it." Skye was shaking as she fumbled for the take-out phone on the wall and dialed the first number that popped into her mind.

After three rings someone answered.

"McKenzie, its Skye. Hang on a sec. This isn't about Brian. I need help. I think I just killed my mom and Granny." Skye waited and listened and nodded even though there was no one around to see her. "I know right, sick joke. I guess that's what I get for being late all the time." See took a shaky breath to steel the nerves eating up her insides. "But seriously Kenz, something is really wrong. Do you think you could bring your mom by the diner?"

There was a squabble of voices and then Skye said, "I don't care which one." She paused. "Okay, fine, bring both. Yeah, yeah, yeah, pie on the house, whatever they want, just get over here. Please!" She nodded again. "M'kay bye."

Skye hung up the phone and slammed her head down on the counter. "Well mom, you always said I'd be the death of you. Looks like you were right." She exhaled sharply. "As usual."

* * *

"We're taking my car," Regina said, pulling the blonde into the garage.

Emma furrowed her brow and clicked the lock button on her keychain again. "Why not the cruiser?"

"Because, dear, I don't want our children riding in the back of a police car, okay."

Emma smirked, grabbing Regina's hand. "Afraid I'll corrupt them or something," she said, spinning her wife around and pushing her against the driver's side door.

"McKenzie is already too much like you," Regina said. She swallowed hard, not unaware of how tightly Emma had forced their bodies together or how close her lips were.

"Ugh, come on with the P.D.A, please," McKenzie said, stumbling into the garage with her eyes half-covered. "We have company." She gestured wildly to where Kai was coming out the door with Addie.

"He doesn't care," Emma said, but she stepped away from Regina to spare her children's sanity. "Besides, it can't be P.D.A unless we're in public and last time I checked this was still my garage."

"Whatever you say, ma. Can we get a move on, Skye sounded like she was going to have a heart attack.

"So Ruby and Granny fell asleep at the diner," Emma said. "Big whoop."

"I think it's a bit more involved than that," McKenzie said, piling into the backseat after Kai and her sister.

"As long as there's pie at the end of it all I don't care," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I never feed you."

Emma squeezed her hand. "Oh, you feed me just fine."

There was a mock-retching sound from the back seat and a chorus of giggles erupted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Storybrooke of the Future: 22 Hours Before**

"Are you guys all packed for tomorrow?" Emma said as Regina backed out of the driveway. "Seatbelts," she said, having heard only one click. She somehow knew it was Addie. Her youngest daughter may have inherited her looks but she was a tiny Regina at heart. McKenzie was more laid back and needed the prompting. Kai just needed to be told to put on his seatbelt because the Enchanted Forest still did not use cars to get around.

"Yeah," McKenzie said, buckling her belt and rolling down her window. "Skye said she was too, but knowing her she's been grounded and won't be allowed to come now. She always does something stupid right before we have plans."

"I'll talk to Ruby," Emma said, winking at her eldest daughter. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"Emma, you can't undermine Ruby's parenting. If Skye's in trouble—"

Emma leaned across her seat and kissed Regina on the cheek. The patch of skin she touched burned deep pink. "Don't worry about it," she whispered. Her gaze lingered on her wife for longer than necessary. "Did you know you're cute when you blush?"

"Spare us," McKenzie grumbled into her hand as she covered her face and gave Kai an apologetic shrug.

Regina rolled her eyes but couldn't contain the smile that crept across her face. "Only when I blush?" she said.

"Of course not," Emma said. "But that's a conversation better saved for later."

"Thank the gods for that," McKenzie remarked. "I'd like to keep my dinner inside my stomach."

"Oh, come on, Kenz, we could totally be worse."

"Yes." Regina smirked. "We could be like your grandparents."

Emma laughed and mockingly reached for Regina. "I will always find you," she mimed dramatically. "I think it's their catch phrase now."

Addie scrunched up her nose. "I think that's a very nice thing for Gramps to say. Don't make fun of him."

"It is, dear," Regina said, placating her daughter, "just not all the time."

"If Talon ever starts saying that to Mel I swear I'll cut his tongue out," Emma said.

"Ma, that would be very, very mean," Addie said, kicking the back of Emma's seat.

"Your right, Addie. Emma, what kind of example are you setting for our children?" Regina's face was serious but Emma could tell by her tone that she was joking.

"I'd be doing him a favour and you know it," Emma said.

"No you wouldn't," Addie said. "Talon uses his tongue when he kisses Mel. He wouldn't be happy if you cut it off."

McKenzie face-palmed and Kai shifted nervously beside her. Sometimes Addie was too straightforward.

"Oh, really?" Emma said. Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to face her youngest. "What else can you tell me about Talon and Mel?"

"Emma," Regina warned.

"No, no, I want to hear this, in case I ever need leverage over him."

"You're a horrible person," Regina said. "Leave the poor boy alone."

"That's not what you said when we used to snoop through Henry's stuff."

Regina gave her a look: the shut-your-big-mouth-right-now look.

"You snuck through Henry's room when he lived at home?" McKenzie gasped. Her insides coiled in knots. What if her parents had been through her room too?

"Just his backpack," Emma said. "He kept all the good stuff in there."

"I can't believe you," McKenzie wailed. "I am so telling him."

"So you guys going to Boston this weekend, huh?" Kai said, cutting through the voices. He had been helping Addie with a game of Sudoku until the conversation started to spin out of control. His eyes drifted to McKenzie. He liked to just watch her sometimes. The way she smiled. The way she laughed. It made his heart feel light, like it was full of air instead of blood.

It was Emma who answered him with a nod. "Nice subject change, kid."

Kai smirked. "I know when I'm needed."

"We're going to help Henry move!" Addie all but squealed.

McKenzie snorted. "She's a little excited if you couldn't tell."

"So he's all done with university then?" Kai asked.

"Finished his master's last month," Emma said proudly.

Kai shrugged. "I'll just pretend to know what that means."

McKenzie sighed with a smile and took it upon herself to explain the mechanics of her world's education system.

Regina's gaze flickered between Emma the road and the rear-view mirror as she listened intently to what was being said in the conversation going on behind her. She could tell Emma was listening too. Her hand laid lazily over Regina's shoulder, drawing smooth circles into her shirt, but she could see her eyes fixed on the reflections in the side mirror. Emma was just as engaged by what the two friends were saying as Regina was, though she was beginning to think it was the things that weren't being said that were most telling.

"So does everyone go to this big school?" Kai wondered.

"No," McKenzie said. "It isn't mandatory or anything. But if you want a good job most people go."

"Will you go?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't mind living in Storybrooke."

"But don't you want a good job?"

"I want other things to," she said.

Kai nodded.

Regina did not miss the way his gaze lingered or the way her daughter would double blink when she knew he was looking, as if to call attention to her eyes.

"Are you wearing eyeliner?" Regina blurted.

"Me?" Emma quirked an eyebrow.

"Not you, dear."

"Who?"

"McKenzie."

"What?" Emma peered over her shoulder.

"When did you start wearing makeup?" Regina asked. Her fingers tightened and blanched against the wheel. That was not something they had discussed. Or at least, it hadn't been run by her. Emma would have told her right? Of course she would have. Unless she forgot. Regina swallowed hard. That wasn't like Emma.

"Mom," McKenzie groaned. She dropped her head, a shadow of black hair concealing her face.

"She borrowed it from your bathroom when you were in the kitchen," Addie announced. She continued filling in numbers and working out combinations on her Sudoku like her statement wasn't meant to initiate an argument.

"You snitch," McKenzie said. "I knew you were spying on me." She reached across Kai to give her sister's hair a tug.

"Hey," Addie cried, her forehead crinkling. "It's the truth."

"McKenzie, why didn't you tell us you wanted to start wearing makeup?" Emma asked.

Her eldest daughter groaned and threw her moan a pleading look. Emma glanced from her to Kai and nodded slowly. "Oh, well, yah, that's fine. Whatever."

Regina was confused. She opened her mouth to say something but Emma squeezed her leg and gave her the wide eyes: the we'll-talk-about-it-later eyes.

McKenzie exhaled sharply and refused to look at anyone. Sometimes her parents were so embarrassing. She kept her eyes glue to her knees until the car swerved drastically and she was thrown against Kai. "What the—"

"Mommy?" Addie cried in a high-pitched squeal.

McKenzie looked around. Her mom was crumpled in her seat, her hands no longer on the wheel. The car spun out of control.

"Ma!" McKenzie yelled, but she wasn't responding either. Both her parents had passed out. She reached for her seatbelt and pressed down on the button. Using both hands she pulled herself between the front seats and reached for the brake pedal. She fought to squeeze her arm between her mom's legs. The car came to a jerky stop after crashing into a row of trash cans along the curb.

McKenzie pulled the gearshift into park as she sat herself up. "What the heck, mom?" she said, shaking her shoulder. "What's the matter with you?"

Kai had climbed over Addie and gotten out of the car that was half parked on someone's front lawn. "Emma?" he said, gently shaking her shoulder. The blonde woman fell forward against the dashboard.

"What's wrong with them?" Addie cried. "Why won't they wake up?"

"It's okay," Kai said, bending down beside her. "They're just sleeping, see." He pointed.

"But you can't sleep when you're driving," Addie said. "Something is wrong."

McKenzie took the keys from the ignition and snapped her head around. She had been shaking her mom's shoulder for a minute straight. "This is what Skye was talking about," she said. "The same thing happened to her mom and Granny."

"You think it's related?" Kai asked.

McKenzie climbed out the door and unhooked Addie's seatbelt, pulling her sister with her. "How can it not be?" She took Addie's hand, shut all the doors and locked the car. "C'mon, we have to get to Granny's."


	4. Chapter 4

**STORYBROOKE OF THE FUTURE: 21 HOURS BEFORE**

"What the hell'd you do?" Talon screamed. He wheeled around looking from one blank face to the next.

Rowe stiffened, his shoulders hunching. Talon's accusation had broken his shock. "Me? Why'd you assume this is my fault?"

Mel let go of her mother's wrist and narrowed her eyes in Rowe's direction. "Because you do stupid things with your magic when you're bored and this has you written all over it."

Rowe sneered. "Well sorry to disappoint you mate, but this wasn't me."

"Sure," Talon said. He pointed at his parents. "This is exactly what your idea of a funny joke looks like. Wake them up!"

"Why would I do this to everyone? Are you mad? They'd time warp me to Wonderland or something."

Talon banged his fist against the nearest bench. "Wake them up, Rowe!"

"I can't," Rowe yelled. He was nose to nose with Talon.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not powerful enough to do this, okay. I don't have enough magic."

"Took your mom's pixie dust again," Melody accused.

"Pfft," Rowe said, backing away from a fuming Talon and rounding on Mel. Sometimes the goody-goody dating, dream team drove him mental. "You think pixie dust did this? Uh-uh, this is something really dark."

"Dark like what?" Talon growled.

_Stupid question_, Rowe thought. It's not like they were hiding ogres and evil fairies in the Storybrooke forests. "Like something that came from outside of Storybrooke."

Mel let out a tiny gasp. "Through the portal? You think something got past the dwarves that shouldn't have?"

"I don't know, it's just a theory," Rowe said. He looked around at the town hall. His mom had collapsed against the bench she had been seated in. If this magic had spread all over town, and he had a feeling it had, then his dad was probably out cold on his ship, if the rum hadn't knocked him out first.

"Is your mom okay?" he finally asked Talon. Snow had hit her head against the podium when she collapsed. Charming had rushed to catch her but the enchantment had hit him at that same moment and their bodies collided before hitting the ground.

"I think so," Talon said. "But we won't know until they wake up, right?"

"When will that be," Melody asked. She had just finished threading her parent's fingers together. If she wasn't so creeped out she might have taken a picture. They looked sort of sweet slumped against each other.

"How the hell am I supposed to know," Rowe said.

"Okay, snappy," Melody bit back. "Keep your wings on."

Rowe raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, you want me to start with the fish comments?"

"Enough," Talon said. He had just finished cycling through his phone contacts. "I can't get a hold of McKenzie or Skye. We need to go find them."

"And where exactly do you think they'll be," Rowe said.

"Where everybody goes when there's a problem," Talon said, like it was obvious. "Granny's."

* * *

Thank gods," Skye said, hearing the bell ding. She dropped her fork back in the pie tin. It was the last of the lemon-meringue. She was stress eating and she knew she shouldn't do that. She had a lactose intolerance and she didn't have any of her pills with her, but she didn't care if the whipped crème made her sick. She felt like she was going insane, so she was going to eat the pie, dammit, because it was the only thing that made sense. "I was getting tired of talking to my mom and having her not respond," she said to the shadow that stood in the doorway. "This takes the silent treatment to a whole new level."

McKenzie looked shaken as she stepped inside, followed by Kai and a crying Addie.

"Where's your mom?" Skye asked, rushing around the counter. The three of them looked like they had just seen a pink unicorn fall out of the sky and, in Addie's case especially, get hit by a bus.

"Parked on top of a garbage can on Main Street," McKenzie said.

Skye gasped. "You're kidding."

Kai shook his head. "I wish."

"Is everyone okay?" Skye said, pulling McKenzie into a booth. They were all free, there was no one but them in the diner, but she still chose their favourite, the one in the back corner where friendships were cemented and crushes were spied on. It was the best spot in the whole diner for eavesdropping and sharing secrets over hamburgers.

McKenzie slumped down next to Skye and rubbed her face with both hands. "Ugh, I think so. I don't know. They're asleep, maybe, sorta." She looked at her sister and sighed. "Addie, please stop crying. I can't think when you're like this."

The girl's blonde pigtails were unravelling. She had snot and tear stains all over her face, but Skye didn't even know where to start. Apparently McKenzie didn't either, so they were both glad when Kai took Addie's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen. "C'mon," he said. "I know where Granny keeps the popsicles."

Skye watched him walk to the kitchen door with Addie in tow. Something warm fluttered in her chest, hovering near the base of her throat. "He's sort of awesome sometimes, huh?" she said.

"Focus, Skye." McKenzie said, knowing exactly where her friend's brain had momentarily wandered off to. "We have a bigger problem on our hands than your rebound crushes."

"Yeah, like—"

Addie screamed and Skye was pretty sure it split the glass covering the display case. "My ears are bleeding," she muttered. McKenzie leaned around her.

Kai was hurrying back around the counter with a wailing Addie attached to his hip. "Thanks for the heads up," he growled.

Skye arched a brow. "Huh?"

Kai picked Addie up and placed her on the table between the booth seats. He tried to cover her ears but Addie was flailing so much it didn't work. "Oh, by the way my mom's passed out behind the counter like a corpse would have been a nice warning," he hissed.

"I figured it was just assumed," Skye said gesturing around, "with everything that's just happened."

"Yeah, maybe for me. Not the ten year old," Kai muttered.

"Right," Skye said, shooting him an apologetic smile. "Mom and Granny are behind the counter."

Addie was in hysterics now, hiccups breaking up her sobs.

"Well, you still have the popsicles to look forward to," McKenzie said, squeezing her sister's hand.

Addie hiccupped again.

"Not really," Kai said. "The freezer's empty."

"Oh right." Skye snapped her fingers. "I was supposed to pick some up last week."

McKenzie rolled her eyes. "Okay then, so we have no popsicles, no pie left by the looks of the counter. Our parents have checked out and we owe someone a new trash can." She stared at the ceiling and wished it would just fall down and hit her in the head. "Can this day possibly get any worse?"

Just then the door opened and in walked Rowe. He smirked in McKenzie's direction. "Swan," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

McKenzie closed her eyes and Skye rubbed her arm. "I think it just got worse."

"That's Swan-Mills to you," Talon said, elbowing Rowe as he passed. "And don't you forget it again."

Talon, Rowe and Melody crowded into the booth with the rest of the kids and began relaying their stories.

Addie had settled down greatly when Talon arrived and was now only sniffling quietly into Mel's shirt.

"Your mom's are okay, though?" Talon asked again. "I feel weird about leaving them in a car abandoned in the middle of the road."

"It's not like anything's going to happen to them," Rowe said. "If you haven't noticed, almost everyone's checked out. Everyone except the second generations that is."

"The what?" McKenzie asked.

Rowe gestured between them. "You know, everyone born to the one's affected by the last curse."

"Yeah," Skye said. "It's only the ones who were affected by the previous curses that have fallen asleep."

"So what does that mean?" Mel asked. She was holding Addie on her lap, whispering soothing words in her ear. Talon leaned over and put an arm around her shoulders.

No one said anything.

"We can't do this," McKenzie blurted finally.

"Do what?" Kai said.

"This. Us," McKenzie stammered. "We don't know what's going on and we definitely can't fix it ourselves."

"Let's get Henry," Addie said.

"We can't," Talon told her. "You're mom's protective enchantments are still up. We checked on the way here. No one gets in or out past the town line without her disabling them first."

"Maybe we just wait then," Skye said. "Maybe they'll wake up on their own."

"Yep, cause that seems logical." Rowe rolled his eyes and decided he would have to be the one to lay everything out on the table. "Look, whoever did this has a reason and the longer we wait to wake our parents up the more time we are giving said person to do whatever it is they have planned."

"So what are you saying," Talon asked.

"I'm saying if we are going to do anything it needs to be now."

"And what do you propose?"

"If I knew that, Talon, then I wouldn't be sitting here, would I?"

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence. It was slowly dawning on them that they didn't have the skills or the knowledge to handle what was happening in Storybrooke. At least, not by themselves.

There was a sharp ringing and a tiny head went bobbing by the window, scooting down the sidewalk.

"Who was—"

"Rosie," McKenzie said, pushing against Skye so she would get out of the booth.

"Guess we know it got Gold, too," Rowe said. "He never lets that kid out alone."

"Hey," McKenzie shouted, pushing through the door. Rosie was riding her bike down the sidewalk. She looked determined and a little annoyed that she had to stop until she looked over her shoulder and saw McKenzie.

She braked and put both feet down. Then she turned her head around, her helmet falling over her eyes. "Look, Kenzie, no training wheels."

"I see. That's great, Rosie," McKenzie said. The rest of the group had joined her outside now. It was getting dark. The streetlights had just come on and the town felt too quiet.

"This is freaking me out," Skye mumbled. "Storybrooke's like a ghost-town."

"Rosie, where are you going?" Talon called.

The little girl blinked. "I was going to the library."

"Why?" It was Addie who asked this time, skipping over to her friend, as if oblivious to everything that she had been crying about an hour before.

"Because I went to the portal to see if someone could help me wake papa but it's closed up."

"Really?" Kai said. He moved forward and kneeled down beside the pink bike. "Rosie, you're sure?"

"Yep. It was sealed."

Kai looked up. "Someone doesn't want anyone being able to get out of Storybrooke."

"Or in," Rowe added.

Skye swallowed. "That doesn't sound good." She looked up and down the street again. The wind whistled and she shivered.

"Well, where are you going now?" Talon asked Rosie. "It's late, you should come inside the diner with us."

Rosie shook her head. "I told you, I'm going to the library. That's where my papa keeps some of his magic."

"What magic?"

"His beans," Rosie said.

"Of course." McKenzie clapped her hands. "They open portals. That's how we get help."

"Well, if you find these beans, where do you want to go?" Mel asked Rosie.

"Storybrooke."

Addie laughed. "But you're in Storybrooke, silly."

"Not this Storybrooke," Rosie said. "I'm going to yesterday so I can ask my papa what's wrong." She turned and started pedaling again. Skye and Mel raced after her.

McKenzie looked at Talon. "Sometimes that kid is so smart it scares me."

Talon nodded. "I know. And then I wonder if she gets it from Belle or from Rumplestiltskin."

"She's right, you know." McKenzie inhaled and let it out.

"I know," Talon said. "We have to go back in time."

"It's the only way to get help."

"Well, if you're all going on an adventure," Rowe said, barging between them. "I'm coming to. You'll need a captain to steer the ship."

"We are not taking your dad's ship," McKenzie said. "It smells like booze and the last time it was on open water was in Neverland."

"So?"

"So I don't trust something that hasn't had an oil change in like twenty years."

"Har, har," Rowe said. "What do you suggest then, a coach pulled by horses? Your mom keep that kind of thing in the garage?"

"Not exactly," McKenzie said. "I was thinking something a little smaller than that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Storybrooke of the Past:**

"They're gone," McKenzie said, watching the cruiser and her mom's car drive right past them. She closed her gaping mouth, fully prepared to be blasted with questions from the two people who should know her best in the world and yet, wouldn't have a clue who she was. Yeah, so they probably couldn't see the wreckage through the trees, but that explosion was pretty loud. Where could they be going?

"That's probably for the best," Kai said, nudging McKenzie. "We need to regroup and figure out what we're going to do. We can't just start telling people all about the future. It could seriously muck things up."

"Agreed," Talon said. "First things first. Everyone grab what you absolutely, and I mean absolutely Skye, need and then we're heading to the hospital. Hopefully Whale's working. He normally doesn't ask too many questions."

"What have you done this time?" Gold said absently. He didn't even flinch when Emma and Regina burst into his shop. He had learned to sense them coming. It was their magic. When they were together it fizzed and sparked, emitting tiny bursts of energy. If you paid close attention you could feel it, especially when their emotions ran high. "I should really start charging for my services."

Emma made a face but Regina was the one who got right to the point. "What was that light in the sky?"

"I assure you it had nothing to do with _me_." Gold placed the plate he had been polishing back on the counter.

Emma regained her composure and leaned against the counter. She tilted a finger at Gold.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to point?"

"Nope," Emma said. "And that wouldn't stop me anyway. Now what's going on?"

"Well from what I can tell, there was a loud explosion and a burst of light that swooped through Storybrooke."

"Mmm hmm," Emma said.

Gold tilted his head. "Well, did you check the scene of the crime, Sheriff?"

Emma blanked. "Uh, I kind of just assumed—"

"That a strange thunder clap and a shockwave of magic had to be my doing."

Emma crossed her arms. "Well, when you say it like that—"

"It sounds totally plausible," Regina finished. "Seriously Gold, I'm not in the mood to deal with your riddles today."

"Then here's another one, your majesty. That light had magical origins. And if you just put the enchantments around Storybrooke, how exactly did something magical just enter our town?"

Regina swallowed and closed the hand that was preparing to fireball Gold's face.

Emma gave Regina's arm a tug and directed her towards the door. "We've got some work to do."

"Have a lovely day," Gold said wryly as the door closed. He could tell by the way it slammed that Regina had added a little bit of magical force. That's another thing that happened when the Saviour and the once Evil Queen were together. Things tended to get broken. Gold assumed it was the excess magic that got out of hand, but really, he had already replaced the door twice in the last month.

"I heard the door slam." Belle walked out of the back room and sighed. "Regina was here, wasn't she?"

"And Ms. Swan," Gold said innocently, holding his arm out to Belle.

"What did you do to them this time?" she asked him

Gold made a face of mock disbelief and touched his chest. "Me, nothing. I promised, no more meddling." His expression softened. "But on the note of kept promises, I do believe you owe me a kiss."

Belle smiled, and wrapped her arms around him. "I suppose that is a promise I can keep."

"So, you want us to hike through town all the way to the hospital?" Skye whined, picking up several articles of clothing that looked like they belonged to her. She held a jacket at arm's length, assessing its usefulness, before dropping it again.

"The car's in pieces if you hadn't noticed," Talon said wryly, chucking a pair of headphones at her. "These look like yours."

Skye straightened up, catching the wires around her fingers. "No, I mean, I know, but can't Kenzie just poof us there. You know, with her purple smoke cloud, just like her mom does."

"I thought we just agreed the whole magic thing was dangerous until we know how it works here," Rowe said, flipping through a book that looked like someone's diary. "Did you already forget how hurtling through tie and space went?"

"How else are we going to know if we don't try something?" Kai said. "We'll have to test it at some point.

McKenzie nodded. She had just finished putting Addie's hair in braids "He's right," she said, jumping of the hood of the Bug. "I'll try to poof myself first. If I make it there and back in one piece then I'll try taking more people with me."

"If?" Rowe cried. "Are you kidding me?"

McKenzie smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me, Rowe." She turned to face the rest of the group. "Don't worry; I'll be back in a flash."

"Poof," Addie declared dramatically as her sister disappeared.

"Wait," Talon and Rowe screamed, reaching for the spot where McKenzie disappeared. Their hands grabbed nothing but purple mist.

McKenzie was spinning really fast. The rush of magic felt familiar and exciting. Addicting. She let it course through her body for a second before focusing. All she had to do was focus on the place she wanted to land. She thought of the hospital, of Whale, of the gurneys and tubes and beeping machines. She thought of the nasally nurses and whining patients. She wanted to help her friends. She wanted to help her parents. Her thoughts travelled from the hospital to her mom, crumpled against the steering wheel and before she knew it she had landed on the road in front of the cruiser that had to swerve around her. Behind it her mom's car slammed to a stop, the bumper an inch from her knee caps.

"Oh crap," McKenzie said. She let go of the breath she had been holding and replaced it with another.

"Hands up!"

McKenzie turned slowly. Her ma was out of the cruiser. She had her gun raised and her eyes narrowed in that way she did just before busting someone for a lie.

"Double crap." First rule of magic: focus. Guess that didn't work out exactly as she planned.

McKenzie thought about using magic to escape, but she sensed that would just cause more questions than answers and she didn't need her parents to be any more suspicious of her then they already would be. Slowly she raised her hands, placing them on the back of her head.

She saw the look of puzzlement on her ma's face first, and then her mom's when Regina got out of her car to stand beside Emma. They saw Regina's cheek bones and her chin. McKenzie smiled and knew they would see Regina there too. She couldn't help it. Even about to be handcuffed she was nothing but happy to see her parents, both of them, alive and well.

She almost let out a sigh of relief, but then the metal twisted her wrists together and she was forced into the back of the cruiser. Boy would her mother kill her if she ever saw her back there.

So, she didn't come back," Skye whispered. "It's been too long." She had started pacing at the one minute mark. Now she was just wearing a hole in the forest floor.

"Should we be worried?" Rowe said, knowing the answer before he asked it.

"Yeah," Talon said. "Now would be an okay time to worry." He looked at Rowe. "Can you go after her? Do you know how to—"

"No, mate, I haven't learned how to," he gestured at the spot where McKenzie disappeared. "I can't do that."

"What now?" Mel asked. She had Rosie and Addie all packed up, waiting with Henry's storybook. Both kids were sleepy and injured and in need of a shower and a good meal.

"Guess we start that hike," Talon said. "Hopefully we make it into town before it gets dark."

"Without Kenzie?" Kai said.

"I have no way of going after her. She'll find us again." Talon said. And he truly had to believe that, because believing anything else was just not okay.

"Maybe she's at the hospital already," Addie said, her lip jutting out.

"You know what," Talon said, bending down to squeeze her tiny hand. "I bet she is."

* * *

**Review please. And let me know if you want to see more :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, kid," Emma began. "Why don't you tell me what you were doing in the middle of the road?"

She was perched lazily on the corner of her desk. Regina was pacing and throwing strange glances between the girl in the cell and the reflective one-way glass recessed into the back wallthe wall that looked in on the interrogation room. Emma wanted Regina to stop. It was making her antsy and it made them look like incompetent fools. The one thing she learned about dealing with delinquent teenagers—mostly from being a delinquent teenager herself—was that they could smell fear, but more than that they could smell incompetency. And right now Regina was making them look like they had no idea what was going on, like things were about to spiral out of control at any minute.

"Just give her the chair from your office already," McKenzie said, watching her mom pace back and forth. Her head turned in Emma's direction. "She likes that one and then she'll sit and stop giving me indigestion."

Regina stopped moving. Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline. "How do you…Emma—"

"I'm working on it." Emma stood, crossing her arms against her chest. "Kid, you just appeared out of the sky in a cloud of purple smoke. Wanna tell me how you learned that?"

McKenzie's eyes flickered to Regina for a moment, but it was a moment too long, they all felt it. "My mom," she whispered and dropped her gaze.

"So you can do magic," Emma continued.

"Yes."

"Your mom does magic?"

McKenzie nodded. "Both my parents can do magic."

"Which means you can just poof yourself out of this cell?" Emma said. "Whenever you want."

"Yes," McKenzie said. "That's generally how it works."

"The why haven't you left yet."

"I just wanted to see you."

Emma tilted her head and took a step towards the holding cell. Regina had closed in too, so now the two women stared at the girl behind the bars, the one who looked so much like Regina but had given them enough snarky attitude on the ride here for Emma to have painful flashbacks of her teen years.

"What did you say?" Regina said. Her voice was a whisper.

Suddenly McKenzie jumped to her feet. "You know what, never mind. This was a mistake. I have to fix it." She raised her hand. Regina reached through the bar and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't," she said.

"What's a mistake, kid?" Emma asked, reaching for the keys in her pocket. She needed to get inside the cell before the girl could disappear. Before the spell Regina was using to block the girl's magic wore off.

"I thought you could help us," McKenzie said quickly, on the verge of tears.

"Who's us?" Emma asked, trying to keep the girl talking. "Are there others in Storybrooke with you?"

McKenzie just shook her head. "But you just won't understand. It's-it's crazy. I have to go." She turned her head to look at Regina. "You can let go. That spell doesn't work on me."

"What?" Regina said, taken aback. "How did you—"

"It didn't work when Cora used it on you. Our magic's too similar for you to block me."

McKenzie yanked her arm back and the sound of her disappearing in a purple mist masked Regina's sudden intake of breath.

"What the hell was that?" Emma said looking over her shoulder. She turned and got her arm around Regina just before the brunette collapsed. "Regina, do you need to sit down?"

She shook her head. "Emma, I am having the strangest day."

"Tell me something I don't know. Can you follow her?" Emma asked, dragging Regina over to the couch. She set her down and clasped her hands against the brunette's cheeks. "Hey, look at me. Can you follow her?" Emma repeated slowly.

"Yes, I think so. Magic leaves a certain residue behind, unique to the person who cast it."

"Then go," Emma said. "And when you find her, call me."

"Where are you going?" Regina asked, watching the blonde holster her gun and slip into her red leather jacket.

"I'm going to get Gold and maybe Ruby, too. We need all the help we can get."

* * *

"I'm tired," Rosie said. She was clinging to Mel's hand but Talon could tell she was about to drop and scooped the seven year old into his arms.

Rosie's eyes fluttered.

"She's getting worse," Mel said, reaching out to put pressure on Rosie's head. "The bleeding hasn't stopped yet."

"I know," Talon muttered. "We should have just let McKenzie do the spell. I'm such an idiot."

Kai had doubled back from the lead and stopped beside Talon. "I can barely see, man. It's gunna be pitch black soon. Maybe we should set up camp. Wait until morning to move."

"Rosie needs a hospital," Mel argued. "We can't stop now."

"If we all keep stumbling through the woods in the dark we're going to get separated." Kai looked over his shoulder at the others before gesturing to the woods. "We could be another hour from town. Or maybe more. Everyone's beat, man."

Talon hugged Rosie to his chest. "I'll take her then. You guys help the others make camp."

"You want us to sleep here?" Rowe said, appearing from the shadows. "With the wild animals and gods know what lurking about. We don't even have what we need to build a fire."

"Can't you do anything useful with your magic?" Mel snapped at him.

"More than you, Fishtail, but I don't see you offering up any useful suggestions. We weren't supposed to be camping in the woods," Rowe chided.

"None of this was supposed to be happening right now," Talon roared. "But it is, so suck it up. You whine more than your drunk of a father."

Rowe stiffened. "He's not a drunk."

"Tell that to the rum bottle he's always got in his hand."

"He's not a drunk," Rowe shouted. He rammed his hands into Talon's shoulders. Talon stumbled and Rosie almost slipped from his grip.

"Hey, hey!" Kai shouted, stepping in between the two of them. "This is not the time or the place."

"Take it back," Rowe shouted, arms flailing around Kai as he tried to reach Talon. "Take. It. Back."

"I'd say make me," Talon said through his teeth. "But we all know you can't. So why don't you just walk away now before you embarrass yourself."

Rowe dropped his arms by his sides and turned on the spot, marching into the woods.

"Hey, wait man," Kai said, making a half-hearted attempt at getting Rowe's attention.

"Wait! Rowe! Come back here. Rowe!" Skye called after him. All she heard was his receding footsteps. She groaned. "Now what?" she demanded, whirling around with her hands on her hips. "Huh?" No one spoke. Her hands balled at her sides. She couldn't keep track of everyone if they were going to keep storming off in the dark. She had already lost McKenzie and now Rowe. If anyone else left she was going to lose it. "I know you mean well Talon, but sometimes you go too far."

"Skye," Melody said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Skye shrugged her off.

"No, I'm serious," she said. "Rowe's just scared like the rest of us and you always have to go for the low blow, Talon. I'm sorry and it might be news to you, but not all of us live in a charming little family like you, okay." She reached under Talon's arms and scooped up Rosie, trying to swallow the rest of her anger. "I'm the only one who can see well enough in the dark to make it to town now."

Talon opened his mouth but Skye shook her head. "There's no point in arguing with me, you know I'm right. I'll take her the rest of the way. We'll wait at the hospital for you guys." Skye pulled Rosie closer. The girl was by no means big but Skye was already dreading the hike she had ahead of her with an unconscious seven year old. "Oh, if you can find it in you to be the bigger person, Rowe's down there a bit throwing sticks at a bullfrog. Don't let him freeze to death, okay?"

Talon rolled his eyes but nodded. "See you guys tomorrow then." He helped Skye get Rosie on her back and watched as the two of them disappeared into the darkness.

"They'll be alright," Mel said. "Skye's good in the dark. And she's the fastest of any of us."

"I know," Talon said. "I just feel so useless right now. I'm making a mess of things."

"Well, c'mon then," Mel said. "I'm sure Kai could use some help getting a fire going."

* * *

"Gold," Emma said when the light above his shop went on and he opened the door.

To her surprise the Dark One did not seem annoyed by their presence. In fact he seemed almost expectant. "Ms. Swan, Ms. Lucas, to what do I owe the pleasure at this wee hour?"

"I need your help," Emma said. "And it's not that late yet."

"Don't you always," Gold said. "And that's a matter of opinion." He regarded them a moment. "I charge extra after hours, you do know that right."

"Are you gunna let us in or not?" Emma asked huffily.

Gold swung the door open and held out a hand. "I'd say make yourself at home, but I know you always do."

Emma stalked past him. "I like it better when Belle answers," she mumbled.

"You sleep in your suit," Ruby said, slipping past Gold. "Why am I not surprised?"

* * *

"Addie? Kai?" McKenzie called into the night. She was trying to find them by focusing on their faces but the dark was disorienting and she was landing in different parts of the forest every time her magic transported her. It was making her dizzy and she just hoped she wouldn't go stumbling off a cliff one of these times. "Talon, are you out there?"

"Who are you looking for?"

"Jesus—" McKenzie said, jumping a full one-eighty. Her heart thundered in her ears. "You scared the crud outta me."

"Sorry, dear. I didn't mean to frighten you."

McKenzie could barely make out Regina's outline under the moonlight, but there was no mistaking her mother. She smiled wryly. "I should have known you would follow me."

"You didn't need to run," Regina said, taking a tentative step forward. Her hands were in her pockets, like she was unsure of the exchange, but her eyes seemed kind. "We can help you."

"I'm not so sure," McKenzie said, slowly raising her hand. It pained her to have her parents so close and to know that they weren't really her parents. Not yet. They didn't know her, didn't love her. "This might have been a mistake. I just need to find my sister." And with that she was gone again.

"Dammit," Regina mumbled, disappearing in her own cloud of smoke.

* * *

Emma stared at the leather cuff. "I haven't see that that thing since—"

"I know," Gold said, slipping the bracelet into his pocket.

"Kinda figured you would have destroyed it after the whole Pan thing."

"I'm a sentimental man, didn't you know."

Emma rolled her eyes and Gold sighed. "I figured it might come in handy one day," he said. "As usual, I was right. Now you said this girl—"

"What's going on?" Belle said. She stumbled out of the back of the shop, looking groggy. She was wrapped in light pink robe but her feet were bare.

"Sweetheart," Gold began. "It's nothing. Go back to bed."

Emma backed towards the door, feeling like she was imposing. Ruby just shrugged and took a seat on one of the glass cabinets.

"Emma and Ruby's presence suggests that it's not _nothing_," Belle said. "Tell me what's going on. Please."

"Alright," Gold sighed. "I don't know exactly what it is, only what Ms. Swan has been able to tell me, but something magical passed over the town earlier today."

"Magic?" Belle said.

"A foreign magic," Emma added. "And now there's a girl who's shown up who looks an awful lot like Regina and can do her purple smoke thing and I have no idea what I'm doing so I need Gold's help."

Belle nodded slowly.

"Don't worry sweetheart, the Sheriff brought an attack dog for safety."

"Rumple," Belle whispered.

"Watch it, Gold," Ruby said through a smirk. "I bite."

"Oh, I know."

"C'mon Rubes," Emma called. "Let's start the car."

Ruby gave her a dramatic eye roll. "Don't you have a sheriffy code for _give the lover birds a moment to say goodbye_?"

"Yeah it's MYOB," Emma said, taking Ruby by the arm and pulling her out the door.

Gold waited for the door to close and the bell to finish ringing before meeting Belle's eye.

"Was that so hard?" Belle asked. "I want you to be honest with me Rumple. All the time."

"I know. I just didn't want to bother you."

"It's no bother."

Gold sighed. "I don't like telling you when things like this happen because you're impulsive and I don't like putting you in danger. So on that note, will you stay here?"

"Of course."

Gold put his cane down to steady himself. "That was almost too easy," he said. He slowly closed the distance between him and Belle. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"Nothing," Belle said.

"Sweetheart?"

"Honestly," Belle assured him. "You told me what's going on and you asked me to stay here, so I will. But promise you'll call if anything happens." She fixed the collar of his jacket. "Please?"

"Of course." Gold smiled.

"One more thing," Belle said quickly. She stood on her tippy toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Good luck," she whispered.

He half expected her to say _goodnight_ but on second thought he knew she wouldn't because she wouldn't go to sleep until he was back. She wouldn't be able to—not since Neverland. Instead she would brew a cup of tea in their chipped cup and wait for him to return. Wait for him to come back safely.

* * *

Gold bent down in the center of the burnt patch of forest that Ruby had led them to. He canvased the area with a flashlight and bent down to pick up a tiny blackened stone, or what looked to be a stone. He rolled it over in his hand several times, molding his fingers around the shape. It wasn't a stone, he realized. It was a charred magic bean. The kind that opened portals.

"My car," Emma gasped. "What the hell is this?"

"I think you just answered your own question," Gold muttered, scanning the small fissure that ran horizontal across the patch of ground in front of him.

"It's not yours though," Ruby insisted.

"Clearly it is," Emma said, kicking the bumper where her license plate still held on pathetically.

"But it's not," Ruby said, bending down to inspect the tires. "Look at these rims, Em. You don't have anything nearly this expensive on your car."

"Well excuse me," Emma said, feigning offense, but Ruby was right. "So it's mine but not mine."

"Mmm hmm," Ruby said.

"That's not helping, Rubes."

"Hang on, would you. Go hover over Gold's shoulder and give me a sec." She stood up and followed a scent around the Bug.

Emma followed with her flashlight. "What is it Rubes?" The woman was bent over a pile of clothing.

"This is mine," Ruby said.

"The jacket?"

"Yes. How did it get out here?"

"Maybe it's just the same style."

Ruby shook her head, holding the jacket out. "It's got my scent all over it. And—"

"What?" Emma asked.

"Something else, too. Something like me, but…different."

"You're giving me jigsaw pieces, Rubes. I need the whole puzzle. I need—"

There was a burst of smoke and Emma fell backwards at Ruby's feet. "Regina!" she gasped when the smoke cleared.

"Shh," Regina said. "She's coming."

There was a scuffle and then some more smoke. McKenzie appeared in the middle of the four adults. She gasped, blinded by the sharp light from the flashlights, and stumbled back until she rammed into the Bug. All she wanted was to find the rest of the group. But even more she just wanted to get Addie and go home. She just wanted to wake up and find that this was all a screwed up dream.

She could feel the tears burn behind her eyes. She blinked away the urge to cry. Addie where are you? She focused on her sister and tugged mentally, wishing to find her and make everything else go away.

* * *

"Go talk to him," Kai said, all but pushing Talon towards the trees. "Before he attracts every bear around here with his erratic stick throwing."

"No."

"Go," Kai hissed. "And fix this already. We don't need anyone else wandering around in the dark."

"Fine. I'll go get Mr. Sulk."

"And try to be nice," Kai insisted.

Talon marched angrily towards the sound of Rowe bashing sticks against trees. As he grew closer the sound faded away. "Rowe," he called. "We started the fire. C'mon." He took several more steps. There was no one down here. "Rowe? This isn't funny, man."

He turned and came face to face with Rowe's dark eyes. He steeled himself against the urge to jump and squeal in surprise. "Do you _try_ to act like a snake or do you come by it honestly?" he growled instead.

"Why? Scared, were you?" Rowe said.

"No, but I'm sick of chasing you through the woods," Talon said. "So come back to camp already."

"Why?"

"Cause there are people over there who seem to want you to join us. Stop being difficult."

"No."

"Honestly, I don't know why I even bother," Talon said. He pushed Rowe aside. "If you want to freeze."

"That's exactly what you'd like," Rowe said. "Well here Charming, I'll make it easy for you. I don't need your help. I don't want it. I'll figure this out on my own, mate."

"Rowe, don't be ridiculous."

"What're you gunna do, huh? Beat me up and chain me to a tree? Cut off my hand?"

Talon clenched his fists. Don't tempt me. "No."

"Well that's about the only way you're going to stop me." Rowe slid between two trees.

Talon sprinted after him but after only several feet he was already way off Rowe's trail. The kid was sneaky and could appear and disappear as he pleased. It was one of the only things he could manage with his magic. If Rowe didn't want to be seen then he wouldn't be. Talon shrugged. "Your loss, pal," he called before turning and marching back in the direction of the fire. He was pretty sure a stick was hurled at his back but he didn't even bother turning around. He wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.

"Where's Rowe?" Melody asked. She looked at Talon for a split second for turning and yanking Addie away from the fire. "Not so close," she said.

"No clue," Talon said, sitting beside her. "He left."

"Great," Kai muttered. "Just what we need. Another one of us to track down in the morning."

"Yeah, well—"

"Talon!" Addie cried. Dark purple smoke had engulfed her feet and was quickly making its way up her legs.

"Addie!" Talon shouted but by the time he and Kai had grabbed her, the smoke was already pulling her away. She disappeared between their fingers like water.

"Where did she go?" Talon cried, spinning in a wide circle. "She's gone."

"That was magic," Kai said definitively. "Looked kind of like McKenzie's, didn't it?"

"You think?" Talon said nervously.

"Let's just go with that theory for now," Kai said.

"This isn't gunna be like a horror movie, is it?" Mel asked. "People keep disappearing." She snuggled closer to Talon as he sat down again.

"No, it's just my own personal hell," he muttered.

* * *

"Mommy," Addie cried as soon as she appeared in the clearing, lunging towards Regina.

McKenzie grabbed her waist and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Addie," she hissed. "Don't!"

"This just got really weird," Ruby said pointing from the girls to Emma and Regina. "They look like your clones. It's like the twilight zone."

"Actually this explains a lot," Gold said, tossing the magic bean in the air.

"What does it explain, Gold?" Regina snapped. The bean was tossed in her direction. She caught it and examined it under Emma's flashlight.

"A magic bean," Gold said. "A transportation vessel." He pointed his light at Emma's Bug. "And two underage children who bare striking similarities to our very own Saviour and former Evil Queen. Ms. Swan, your Majesty, I think we just had our first visit from the future. And I think these two, belong to you." His smirk curled at the edges.

"Well that's just great. I'm glad you're so amused, Gold," Ruby said warily. "Because from what I can tell there's more of them,"

"How many more?" Gold wondered, still piecing together the scene.

"At least six," Ruby said.

Addie pulled herself away from her sister and tore across the clearing, lunging towards Regina again. She clamped her arms around the brunette's legs so tightly that Regina almost fell back, and she would have, if not for Emma who grabbed her arm and steadied her. "You're okay," Addie cried. Her face was obscured by a mane of blonde hair that had unravelled from her pigtails again. Regina placed her hand on the girl's back, only to feel the tearless sobs that were wracking her body.

"It's okay," Regina murmured. She looked up at Emma, then bent down and pulled the child into her arms.

"Well then, if these two pint-sized tots from the future belong to you two, and I think the evidence suggests that they do. Who do the others belong too, I wonder?" Gold said, looking at McKenzie. "Care to elaborate, dearie?"

"Not really at this moment."

Emma crossed her arms. "Guess it's time we find out."

Suddenly Gold disappeared, only to reappear beside McKenzie, and before she could register what happened, Gold had slapped a leather cuff on her wrist. One she couldn't take off.

"That's so there'll be no more of these disappearing tricks you're so fond of. Definitely you're mother's daughter."

"You know, Henry always said you were a jerk," McKenzie said, tugging on the cuff.

Gold chuckled. "I'm sure he did."

* * *

When Skye saw the outline of the hospital she felt like cheering but when she got to the front entrance her joy was replaced with panic because the realization of why she was here hit her like a ton of bricks. It literally knocked her over.

"Please, help me," she shouted as soon as she fell through the triage doors. "Help." She collapsed on all fours and Rosie rolled off her back, head lolling to the side. "No, no, no! Rosie!" Skye shook the tiny girl. "Please wake up."

A mass of bodies and a gurney appeared and Skye was ushered into a waiting wheelchair. "Wait, wait," she called. "I'm fine." Her vision clouded. Her eyes grew heavy. "Rosie," she muttered and then she was gone.

* * *

**Reviews are welcome :D**


	7. Chapter 7

"Ow, hey, you're hurting me." McKenzie said, gritting her teeth as her ma twisted her arm back. She was being forcibly dragged into the Sheriff's station for the second time that night, just like a common criminal. She wasn't exactly making it easy on her parents, not that she was trying to cause trouble by transporting herself around Storybrooke, but organizing a midnight trek through the woods had proven to be more difficult than she expected. Even getting help was problematic, hence the magical bracelet.

She never fully thought out the whole explanation part of the plan. Like how do you start to explain to the people who have yet to give birth to you that you're their kid from the future? What if they didn't believe her? What if they didn't trust what she was saying? She wasn't good at this kind of thing. This was more of Talon's area of expertise. He would have known exactly what to say, and he would have planned this better.

But she had to admit that this would be a funny story later, maybe, when she wasn't freaking out anymore. When she had her friends back and all the explaining had been done. Then she could laugh about the fact that she had been to jail twice in one night. Hopefully Addie wouldn't say anything when they got back to their time, or else her mom would probably kill her.

Her ma's grip tightened around her forearm and McKenzie swallowed the cry that got caught in her throat. "Ow," she repeated. This time it was dripping with attitude.

Emma smirked and flicked on the lights. "That's kind of the point, kid. It's to deter the Houdini act."

"My magic's been blocked by your stupid cuff. You can loosen your grip a little, geez."

"Something tells me that you'd be this much trouble with or without your magic."

"Guess it runs in the family then, huh?" McKenzie muttered. Emma pushed her towards the holding cell that Ruby was unlocking.

"Let's just say you really are my kid, okay, and if you were then you'd know how to—"

McKenzie stepped back and slid under her ma's arm, twirling out of the hold and swinging her arm around, stopping the self defense move just before slamming her palm into her attacker's—her ma's—nose, just like she had been taught.

Emma's eyes widened. She turned slightly, exchanging a look with Regina who sat down on the couch with a ten-year-old Addie passed out across her lap.

"That's spooky," Ruby said. She abandoned the part of the plan that involved locking up the kid who could apparently beat the crud out of them if she wanted to. Instead she plopped herself down in Emma's chair. "But it's proof enough for me. Welcome to Storybrooke, mini Regina look alike."

"That's not my name." McKenzie crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

It took Emma half a second to realize they were standing the exact same position. She shrugged her shoulders and sat on the edge of her desk. "Then what is it?" she asked.

"Take a wild guess," McKenzie said.

"How would I know what your name is?" Emma said.

"You chose it."

"Well that doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does. You said you always knew what you would name me. You said you had a girl's name picked out from way back when you were pregnant with Henry, just in case you know, you decided to keep him and he was a girl and everything."

"You know about Henry?" Regina said.

"Yeah," McKenzie said. "He's sorta my brother."

"Right," Emma said.

"By the way, how old is Henry here? And where is he? He's such a snoop, there's no way he wouldn't be involved by now?"

"This is not how the questioning thing works," Emma said.

Regina chuckled and looked from Emma to McKenzie. "I always assumed it was the other way around as well. So tell me dear, how old is Henry where you're from?"

"I asked you first," McKenzie said.

"When did we start twenty questions?" Ruby wondered absently. She was organizing the paper's on Emma's desk.

"We didn't," Emma said. She narrowed her eyes at McKenzie.

"Fine. I'll give you a hint about the name," McKenzie said. "It starts with an M."

Emma almost growled. "That's not what I wanted to—"

"Kenzie," Addie murmured from where her face was buried in Regina's coat. She was beginning to stir from her sleep.

"McKenzie," Emma whispered under her breath, feeling faint. It was impossible. She had to grip the desk to steady herself.

McKenzie walked towards Regina slowly and squeezed her sister's hand. "Hey Addie. How'd you sleep?"

"Addie?" Regina said, looking up at the girl who shared her eyes and cheeks and chin. "As is Addison?"

McKenzie nodded.

"Spooky," Ruby said again, twirling around in Emma's chair. "So, anyone know where Gold went? He kind of disappeared."

"He's gone to get Belle," Emma said. "No use in her waiting up alone all night if all we've got is a bunch of kids to deal with. She might as well come along for this brain warping adventure."

"So you and Regina have more kids in the future, huh," Ruby mused. "You know what, I can see it. You guys would have cute kids."

"We're right here," McKenzie said.

"I meant hypothetically," Ruby said.

"Again, we're right here. Nothing hypothetical about it." McKenzie shook her head, and for a moment sympathized with Skye. Skye! Oh geez. The group!

"Hey, Addie," she said, bending down beside her sister. "Where was everyone when you left? When my magic pulled you away, what was happening?"

"Skye took Rosie to the hospital. She was bleeding really badly and we couldn't see to keep walking anymore so Skye had to take her." Addie perked up in Regina's arms, preparing to relay every detail of McKenzie's time away. "Rowe and Talon got in a fight. I think Rowe was leaving."

"He left?" Worry clouded McKenzie's features and Emma wondered who this Rowe character was.

"I think," Addie said, biting her lip. "Yeah, maybe. And everyone else was starting a fire but Talon and Kai were arguing over the sticks and Mel was getting grumpy sitting in the dirt and—"

"I'm gunna need a list to keep this all straight," Emma said.

"Welcome to my world," McKenzie sighed, dropping her head in her hands. She took a deep breath, counted to five, and looked at her sister again. "They were all heading to the hospital, right?"

"Yeah, Talon said they should be there in the morning," Addie said.

"Good, then. That's where we'll meet up with them. C'mon."

"Wait, hold up a second," Emma said, standing up. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Did you just miss the entire conversation?" McKenzie said. "Like seriously?"

Emma arched her brow. "Hey kid, cut me some slack. All I heard was a bunch of mumbo jumbo I didn't understand. You haven't even told us what you're doing here. So you're my kid," she pointed to Regina, "our kid from the future. Why did you come here?"

McKenzie groaned. "You know what, that's a long story and I don't have time to explain it all to you right now."

"Make time," Emma said.

"Then take this cuff off of me."

"No," Emma and Regina spoke simultaneously.

McKenzie glared at them. "You can't keep me prisoner."

"You're not a prisoner, we've just taken away your magic," Regina said calmly.

"Same difference." McKenzie turned to her sister and reached out. "Addie, take it off."

"No," Regina said, shifting the girl in her arms away from her sister.

"Addie, you don't have to listen to them," McKenzie said suddenly, feeling an angry fire lick up her spine. "They're not our real parents."

"Hey kid," Emma said holding up her hands in surrender. "You came to _us_, remember."

"Yeah, I came for help because my _real_ parents are in trouble, just like the rest of _my_ Storybrooke. I have no idea if they're okay or how to fix it or even how to get back to them. All I have is the people I came through the portal with. If I can't fix this then they're all I have left so I need to make sure they're okay. Can you understand that?"

Emma swallowed as the girl bore down on her. In that moment there was no doubting that she was Regina's daughter. It was all there. The fiery, all-knowing glare. It took Emma a second to recover and realize that the person she was dealing with was only a teenager.

"McKenzie, you don't need your magic right now," Regina assured her.

"Of course I do," McKenzie cried. "Don't you see? It's because I never practiced with you, because I didn't learn what you wanted me to that I couldn't fix anything by myself. It's why we're here now. I need all the magic I have." Her arms were shaking faster than her voice.

"It's going to be okay, kid," Emma said, laying a hand of McKenzie's shoulder.

The girl shrugged her off. "You're always trying to control me." McKenzie faced off against Regina. "Well you know what, you're not my mom. Neither of you. Not yet. Not here. I have to go and make sure my friends are okay."

McKenzie felt a tiny fist grab her arm and prayed that Addie had enough magic in her to remove the cuff. As soon as her skin was free of the leather McKenzie felt the rush of fire and energy course in through her finger tips and down to her toes.

She grabbed her sister's hand and in the blink of an eye was gone in a swell of purple smoke.

It cleared away, leaving Emma and Regina stunned. And if Emma was going to admit it, which she still wasn't she was going to do because she didn't believe it was really happening, even a little hurt.

"So the little one has magic too," Ruby said. "Go figure."

"I think we just had our first fight with a teenager," Regina said. She stood up and straightened out her pants, rubbing wrinkles from the seam lines. "I certainly hope Henry isn't this bad in a couple years."

"Don't worry, boys are less emotional," Emma said. "But at least we know where they're going this time."

Ruby stood. "I'll start the car. One of you should call Gold and tell him where to meet us."

"Wait, I think two of us should go to the woods and try to track down the rest of these kids," Emma said. "I don't like the idea of them out there at night."

"You want to sneak up on a bunch of magic wielding kids from the future in the dark," Ruby said.

Emma made a face. "Good call. We'll send out a search party in the morning if they don't show up at the hospital."

"No, I'll go myself," Ruby said. "Just drop me off at the clearing where your Bug is and I'll go from there."

"Rubes—"

"It's easier for me that way." Ruby smiled wide. "You'll just slow me down, Sheriff."

Emma smirked. "Fine, go get the cruiser ready."

"Emma," Regina said, grabbing her hand as soon as Ruby had passed through the door.

The worry that passed over Regina's features, the worry of a mother who had only known her kids for five minutes and yet loved them unconditionally hit Emma hard and she recognized the feeling in the pit of her own stomach.

"Go ahead," she said, squeezing Regina's hand. "I'll be right behind you in the cruiser. Just make sure they're okay."

"I will," Regina said and she disappeared in a purple cloud.

Emma found Ruby outside. The car was running but Ruby was scanning the tree line. Emma knew she was listening for things that didn't belong. "C'mon Rubes."

Ruby turned around and got in the passenger seat. She buckled her seatbelt and looked at Emma seriously. "You do realize that whenever something bad happens, we're usually chasing around one of your kids at the center of it, right? First Henry and now these two."

"Yeah, I've started to notice that pattern," Emma said, putting the car in reverse. "Thanks for pointing it out."

* * *

**Review if you'd like another chapter :D**


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